


Hey Guys, Hit That Like Button If You Think the Demon in Your Basement is...Kinda Hot

by bluebismuth



Series: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter Fics [28]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Demon Jeremy Dooley, Demons, Fluff, M/M, Monsters, Secret Santa, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-21 05:10:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17037260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluebismuth/pseuds/bluebismuth
Summary: Ryan finds out a secret that's gone unknown to him when he stays up late after a long flight home.





	Hey Guys, Hit That Like Button If You Think the Demon in Your Basement is...Kinda Hot

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Charlottes_Sinbin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlottes_Sinbin/gifts).



> secret santa fic for @Charlottes_Sinbin!! hope u like it

Ryan could practically feel the bags under his eyes. He hadn't been up this late in _months,_ but he didn't exactly expect to be in bed by 9:30 PM when he had to take two flights home. Especially when his first one took off at seven.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Late to bed or not, he still had a routine to follow. He picked up his tablet and opened an app, leading him to an overview of the security cameras set up around his house. Maybe it was weird to some people, but Ryan appreciated the safety it brought him. He scrolled through the different cameras, not seeing anything unusual.

His heart stopped when he saw the stairwell camera.

_Something_ was there--Ryan couldn't figure out exactly what. It was a dull mahogany color, with huge horns protruding on the sides of what he figured was its head. Sharp claws, a tail stiff but swaying, and piercing golden eyes--at least, from what he could see. It was crawling on all fours up the stairs, even though from its form it seemed humanoid.

He didn't know whether to panic and rush out to attack it or wait for it to either pass him by or confront him. Maybe it wasn't malicious at all, but Ryan couldn't take chances like that.

Before he could make a decision, though, the monster slipped. How, Ryan didn't see, but he watched as it tumbled down the stairs, accompanied by the thumps and crashing expected from hearing such a thing. _Now’s my chance,_ Ryan thought, putting his tablet down and kneeling down to find the bat hidden under his bed.

Strangely enough, he heard a _whimper_ from the monster after the dust had settled. It made him stop in his tracks a bit, but not long enough to leave the bat behind as he left his bedroom.

Ryan turned on the hallway light. “Uh, are you...okay?” He asked. He immediately questioned why he cared, when this... _thing_ could very well kill him. He stayed out of the view of the monster, a tight grip on his bat.

“Uh!” The monster sounded as panicked as he felt. “I...I didn't think you were still up. Most humans are asleep by now.”

“You've _been here before?!”_ The thought of that monster crawling all throughout his house made Ryan shudder.

“Yes?” Ryan didn't like the implication there. “Definitely before you got those weird things all around your house. I thought it was because I was being too careless, but I figured out that you go to bed before I come here.”

“Well, can you _leave?”_

“Why?”

“Because I fucking live here?! Why do _you_ need to be here?” Ryan revealed himself, pointing the bat at the monster. “Why can't you sneak around a damn abandoned building or something?”

“Jesus, dude, calm down.” The monster held up his--weirdly clawed--hands. “Look, how ‘bout this: if you can help me in terms of making my head hurt less, I’ll leave you alone. Forever. I’ll even go to those abandoned buildings you mentioned.”

Ryan considered the offer for a moment. It could very well be a trap, but he could defend himself. He looked at the monster. Nothing _seemed_ to be off; nothing tipped him off that it was lying. “Fine. You can come upstairs and sit down in the living room. But know that I’m watching my back. Don't try anything funny.”

“Fair enough.” The monster got to his feet and climbed back up the stairs, using the railing to support himself. The claws on his feet scraped against the wood, and Ryan hoped that he wouldn't have to do any sort of home repair when this thing left. Now that they were both on the same level, the monster was a lot shorter than Ryan first realized. They both went their separate ways--the monster sat on the floor and Ryan headed to the kitchen.

“Name’s Ryan,” he said, fishing a bag of peas out of the freezer. 

“Cool. Jeremy,” the monster replied.

“Really?”

“...really what?”

“Just seems too normal for a monster.”

“Hey, I’m a demon, there's a difference.”

“Fine, fine.” Ryan raised his hands up, bag of peas in hand. “Jeremy the demon, whatever.” He walked to the living room, seeing Jeremy on the floor. “You know, you can sit on the couch or something.”

Jeremy stood up and looked at the couch in front of him. “This is for sitting?”

“Yeah? What, are there not couches in Hell, or wherever you're from?”

“Well, yeah, they just...don't look like this.” Jeremy sat down on the couch, then noticed the bag of peas. “What're those for?”

Ryan held out the bag to Jeremy. “Put it where your head hurts.” He took the bag, and Ryan noticed that his skin felt like a more solid version of fire. How his floor wasn't burning up, he couldn't tell. “How do you not know what peas are?”

“You think I come here when people are around?” Jeremy scoffed.

“Fair point.”

“What is this supposed to do anyway?” Jeremy gestured to the bag of peas.

“From what I know, it numbs the part that hurts and reduces swelling. But I mean, I'm not a scientist, so…”

Jeremy shrugged and tossed the peas to Ryan, who nearly missed it. “I'll take your word for it. Doesn't hurt anymore, though.”

“If you say so.” Ryan stood up to put the peas back in the freezer. “What's Hell like, anyway? Is it the whole fire and brimstone thing so many people make it out to be?”

“Not really, but it is hot as fuck,” Jeremy replied. “Having lava oceans kinda does that.”

\---

Slowly but surely, Jeremy told him tons of stuff about Hell--what it was like there, if terrible people went there when they died (yes, but not many), what his role was there (maintaining these weird skeleton guards)--so much that Ryan was worried he'd forget some of it.

Still, he didn't seem to mind. Demons seemed to be almost exactly like humans, minus the physical differences. But Jeremy wasn't a human to begin with--some demons were previously humans who chose to become demons, while others were born to demon parents, Jeremy being the latter. 

Once they warmed up, Ryan got more comfortable with Jeremy. Somehow, they had ended up even closer on the couch, with Ryan leaning his head on Jeremy's shoulder. He was exhausted, but it wasn't like he could just leave now.

“If your job is doing that stuff with the skeletons, why do you come here so much?” Ryan asked. For once, Jeremy stiffened. He'd been relatively relaxed since they'd reached an understanding too.

“Um…” Jeremy looked away. “It's not exactly...we're not really allowed to be here if it's not business. I just get curious, and I'm not exactly high-ranking in Hell. They don't worry about me ‘cause I do my job well.”

“Why my house, then?”

Jeremy was silent, trying to formulate an answer. “It...honestly, it was more for convenience. When my portal first opened I was in your basement. Didn't get far until I heard you walking around, so I dove back.”

The thought of Jeremy snooping through all his things still unnerved Ryan, even if he knew him now. “Is it random, or…?”

“With just the basic spell, yeah. Takes actual resources to get to a specific location. It was dangerous, ‘cause most of what I need is just for that, but I kept going.”

Ryan blinked. “Why, though? You didn't even meet me until tonight.”

There was an even longer pause from Jeremy. He curled his hands into fists (as much as he could) and uncurled them. “I...felt something, I guess. Something told me to keep coming back until I met you. And now, well…” He trailed off.

“Well, if you want to visit again, I certainly wouldn't mind.” Ryan sat up and placed a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “Just, y'know, visit at a reasonable hour next time.”

Jeremy laughed, and Ryan felt his heart stutter.

“I’ll try. Time passes differently in Hell, though, so no guarantees.” 

\---

The dark purples of an impending sunrise poked through the trees when Jeremy finally decided to leave. Ryan made a mental note to keep sleeping, even if his body woke him up around when he usually rose. He watched as Jeremy reopened the portal he first stepped through--oddly tame for something that granted access to Hell--with a twinge of sadness in his chest. He didn't understand why, just that it was there.

Ryan knew he was going to miss Jeremy.

Part of him hoped he would miss him too.

Ryan’s thoughts while preparing himself for bed were largely consumed by Jeremy--the way he looked and talked, how he threw his head back in sheer laughter, the way his golden eyes sparkled when he got excited…

This _definitely_ wasn't a desire to be friends.

\---

Ryan fell asleep almost immediately after he climbed into bed, and thankfully slept like a rock. He felt a little groggy as he raised his head up, just making out the 1:48 PM displayed on his phone, but a little rubbing at his eyes and seeing the clear blue sky outside cleared most of it up.

His sleepiness faded completely when he heard the sound of clawed footsteps padding across his hardwood floor.


End file.
